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Police officer fighting for his life after crash

A police officer remains in the ICU at St. Michael’s Hospital following a Saturday collision.

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Deputy Chief Peter Sloly and Toronto Police Association President Mike McCormack provide a statement regarding Constable John Zivcic, who was transported to St. Michael’s Hospital after a collision near Bloor St. and Neilson Drive on Saturday.(Carlos Osorio)

A Toronto police officer who colleagues describe as hard-working and well-liked is fighting for his life after getting ejected from an unmarked police vehicle.

Constable John Zivcic, 34, was transported by police escort to St. Michael’s Hospital after a collision near Bloor St. and Neilson Drive around 4 p.m. Saturday.

A source said he suffered “severe” head trauma. He remains in the intensive care unit with his family by his side after undergoing multiple surgeries, said Deputy Police Chief Peter Sloly.

“We hope there is further good news … but we have to keep our expectations in mind with what the current prognosis is,” Sloly told reporters outside the hospital, where dozens of fellow officers had been gathering all evening.

On Sunday, around noon, Sloly told reporters gathered outside the hospital that Zivcic's condition remained unchanged.

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“The family's up there. There's officers from across the city coming down to pay support,” Sloly said. “We're doing everything that we can do to keep the family supported.”

Investigators comb through the wreckage at the scene of an accident which left a Toronto police officer with "severe" head trauma. (John Hanley photo for the Toronto Star)

Sloly added there has been a tremendous outpouring of support from Torontonians and “the larger police family.”

“Just keep them in thought and prayer, that's all we can ask.”

Sloly was acting chief Saturday night as Police Chief Bill Blair is out of the country on vacation. He said the chief is “making efforts” to return to the city and has been kept up to date and “will be engaged as soon as possible.”

On Sunday afternoon, Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack spoke on behalf of the family, saying they are grateful for the outpouring of support from the public and officers alike.

“They're devastated, obviously,” McCormack told reporters outside St. Michael's Hospital, where Zivcic remains in critical condition. “They're very stressed right now but the family, his brother and his mom, wanted me to convey to the members of the Toronto Police Service and other police agencies, as well as the public, their gratitude for the support and prayers that have been coming in. They're just very thankful at this point.”

McCormack said Zivcic is a competent, well-respected officer working out of 22 Division and that the accident has hit his fellow officers hard.

“It resonates right across the entire police community, the entire police family, and officers going through the job every single day,” he said. “It really hits home it could happen to any police officer when we're out there protecting the public, and we all feel the greatest amount of sympathy and empathy for John and his family right now.”

Saturday night, police cars could be seen on every street corner surrounding the hospital and people — including police officers across the country — quickly turned to social media with messages of love and support for the six-year police veteran. Messages marked with “#prayforjohn” were trending on Twitter in Toronto and Sloly attributed the online outpouring of support to the “closely knit family” of officers.

“We’ve had folks come in on their time off to be with (John) and his family and that will continue until we get a more definitive update from the medical staff,” Sloly said.

A steady stream of police officers arrived at St. Michael's hospital Sunday morning as media gathered outside. Officers remained tight-lipped about Zivcic's condition, while Sloly tweeted that the injured officer's status remained unchanged from last night.

He described the officer from 22 division as “strong performing.”

“He has a good reputation amongst his peers and is looked upon by his unit commander and his management team as an up-and-coming police officer,” Sloly said.

In a Toronto Police Services story posted online about new police recruits, Zivcic spoke fondly of the job he was — at the time — only just beginning.

“The camaraderie of the job is important,” said Zivcic, who trained as a tool and die maker before becoming an officer. “I can’t imagine being part of a bigger team than in policing … I think I will grow as a person and learn a lot.”

Zivcic, who is not married and has no children, was responding to an incident on traffic duty in an unmarked police car when the collision happened.

The female driver of the other car was taken to the hospital, treated for minor injuries and then released. However, since no one else was seriously injured, the collision doesn’t meet the threshold for the province’s Special Investigations Unit to become involved, Sloly said.

However, police are investigating and a wrecked-up car could still be seen hours after the accident. The scene near Bloor St. and Neilson Drive was still taped off late Saturday night, with no estimated time of reopening.

Zivcic’s family, including his mother and brother, who are at the hospital, are “devastated,” said Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack. He also has a sister.

“Our concerns are with the family right now,” McCormack said. “We’re going to monitor the situation as it unfolds but again we’re just here to support the family during this terribly, terribly difficult time.”

Sombre and standing just outside the emergency entrance to St. Michael’s Hospital where Zivcic was brought in, McCormack spoke briefly of the impact police incidents have on family, colleagues and Toronto as a whole.

“We’ve spoken about this in this very location several years ago,” he said, referencing an incident almost three years ago when a fellow officer was killed after being hit by a snowplow in January 2011.

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